Energy suppliers widen the online price gap - secure a deal now

Energy suppliers widen the online price gap - secure a deal now

This is as a result of ScottishPower replacing its Online Energy Saver 10 plan with Online Energy Saver 11 which, at an annual bill size of £962, is £47 a year more expensive than its predecessor.

All of the big six energy suppliers have now replaced highly competitive online plans with more expensive versions, and customers are being urged to secure a good deal while they still can.

The cheapest online plan is now npower's Sign Online 19 with an annual bill of £890, while the most expensive is SSE's Go Direct 5 with an annual bill of £984.

There is no guarantee of how long the npower deal will be available, and consumers are being urged to secure a good deal in time for winter before the window of opportunity is snapped shut.

Tom Lyon, energy expert at uSwitch.com, says: "Online energy plans are consistently the most competitive in the market, only recently coming in at around £300 a year cheaper than standard plans. But with suppliers gradually pushing their online prices up we are starting to see the difference shrink. Online plans will continue to be more competitive, but the saving will not be quite as pronounced. With winter fast approaching I would urge households to take action to secure one of these lower cost deals now before the window of opportunity closes."

The number of householders switching to online plans - often the most competitive deals on the market - has increased by around 1 million in the last year to 3.5million. However, this still leaves 87% of households languishing on less competitive deals.

Compare gas and electricity prices now